Peas in a pod
by Lorelei Rhiannon
Summary: Just another week in the life of Dr. House. Until he meets a very interesting young woman.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N.** _This is my very first Housefic. I hope you wont think it's too crappy. Read and review, please._

House and company marched out of the elevator and onto the floor where his latest patient was. As they rounded the corner Cuddy could be heard trying to talk. _Trying_. She was being drowned out by the sounds of a sobbing woman. "The patient's mother." said Hadley matter-of-factly.

Kutner broke in. "But isn'tisn't, Inst, inst, int" / our patient an adult?" Hadley nodded. "Then why is her mother barking orders?"

Hadley looked to him and raised her eyebrows. "You'll see."

House was the first to reach the scene. "All these theatrics, I thought I was on Broadway." he quipped.

Cuddy gave him her usual look as she tried once again to calm the woman down. "I assure you, your daughter is in no danger."

The woman continued to wail and cross herself repeatedly. "The devil has my baby." she kept repeating it over and over, in a hysterical sobbing voice.

"Mother..." came a ringing voice from inside the room. The woman looked up hopefully. "Shut up! Will ya?!" the voice of the young patient almost made House laugh as much as the look of shock that descended on her mother.

House sidestepped the weeping mother and entered the hospital room. There on the bed was a young woman in her late twenties. She had her hair tied back in a tail and she was reading, of all things, a farmers almanac. House cleared his throat. When she looked up at him he could easily see that there was something wrong with her. Both pupils were dilated and her face wore a distinct rosy sheen, House would have sworn it was a sunburn if it hadn't been in the lower thirties and cloudy all week long. "I'm Doctor House." he said.

"Figured as much." the girl said back. "I was told you'd be the only one _NOT _in a lab coat." she gestured to his attire. "Nice shirt, The Clash. Awesome." Then she went back to her reading.

Flabbergasted, House circled around to the side of her bed. He reached for the blanket gingerly. "I need to check your breathing.

The girl, Elizabeth was her name, smiled as he did. "I'm not naked." she quipped, casting a grin in his direction.

"Oh, I'm sure you're not." replied House. "But if you're contagious, I don't' want to catch it." He matched her grin.

From the hall Cuddy watched the exchange and groaned. "This is gonna be a fun week." she groused. Elizabeth's mother continued to weep and pull at her hair. It wasn't until the chaplain appeared that she calmed down and went with him to the hospital's chapel.

Liz sighed. "Thank the gods. She's gone." and she relaxed a little as House checked her breathing. "I really need to change my contact information." Liz muttered as House checked her eyes.

"House finished his evaluation and stood back to look at Liz. "You said Gods, just then. Why?"

Liz laughed. It wasn't a laugh that meant she thought what he said was funny it was laugh that implied that she had expected the question. She was about to answer when House reached forward and retrieved the silver chain from around her neck. A silver pentagram the size of a half dollar swung from a loop at the end. "Pagan" he said knowingly.

"Wiccan actually. Why do you think my mother is so fearful. She thinks the devil has come back to collect what's his." Liz rolled her eyes and sighed heavily. "As if it weren't bad enough having to deal with her, she has gotten her church involved. There's a twenty-four hour prayer chain going on. All on my behalf. To save my immortal soul." She shrugged. "Not that I mind. A person needs all the help they can get in this life. But come on. The performance you just saw would win a Oscar. Enough is enough already."

House smiled. "I like you." he said simply, then he looked at Liz and winked. "Her mother's presence is raising her blood pressure. I don't want that woman anywhere near here unless my patient insists. Got it?" The team nodded in unison. He turned back to Liz. "Good enough?"

"Fine." said Liz. She lifted her book and went back to her reading.

House left the room, closing the door behind him. "Shes in no real danger but the incompetent doctors at the clinic she saw didn't know what she had right?" He glanced over at Cuddy, who nodded in silence. He motioned for his team to follow and they did obediently.

&&&&&&&&&&

In the staffroom, House pulled out the marker board and wrote Liz's symptoms on it. "Dilated pupils, reddening of the face and hands, low, shallow breathing, normal heart rate, no fever..." He paused. "Anyone?"

"Hypertension?" asked Kutner.

"Patient is in otherwise perfect health, she even exercises daily, takes vitamins, and she eats healthy, organic foods." He makes a buzzing noise. "Wrong answer. Next."

"Hadley leans forward onto the table. "Over-dosage of her multivitamin might cause the dilation of the pupils. The reddening of her face might be a side effect of the increased blood flow to her eyes."

House looked at her. "Good theory, but next time leave out the "mights", OK?" He wrote the word _overdose_ on the board. "Foreman?"

As he leaned in to look closer at the board, Foreman asked "Does she tan? If she-" but House cut him off.

"Oh, come on! If this was a simple case of overexposure to a tanning bed we'd be laughed out of the hospital." He sighed angrily. "Think smaller. Think bigger."

Taub sighed and blurted out "Rosachea. The slapped in the face look. She has that."

House nodded. "Good, but does that explain the dilation of her pupils?" Taub shook his head. "It's something else." He started to pace the room. His cane dragging on the carpet, making a dull scratching sound.

&&&&&&&&&&&

Elizabeth sat in her bed and sighed. She looked out the window and tried to see the sun as much as she could. "If I could get outside, I'd feel better." she muttered. The sounds of her mother from the end of the hall brought her to her senses. Her mother was being denied admittance to the ward and she wasn't very happy about it. Liz couldn't help but smile. She leaned over to try to hear her mother better when the pain came. A sharp stabbing pain in her back, on the left side. She gasped for breath as she reached for the call button. Within seconds her doctor was alerted.

&&&&&&&&&&&

House's pager went off and he nearly jumped. "Patient is having trouble breathing. New symptom." He said as he pointed to Hadley and said "Come with me. You guys figure out what's doing this."

House and Haldey raced down the hall to Liz's room. Liz was calm but gasping fro breath. Hadley propped her up and House pulled out his stethoscope and listened to her lungs. "Hmm." he said. "Lungs are clear. What does it feel like?" he asked Liz.

Between gasps Liz was able to say that the pain felt like someone was squeezing her lung. "Like- wh- when you- h- hold- a b- balloon- in your- h-hand and force- all- the air- to- one end." Her face showed the essence of calm but her voice seemed panicky. House stood up and bit his lip in frustration.

"Giver her a chest x-ray. Lets see what her muscles are doing." His brow was furrowed. This was a totally confusing case. Nothing was adding up.

After a grueling stint in the radiology lab, Liz was taken back to her room to rest. "Who knew getting the inside of my body photographed would be so exhausting." she quipped as Kutner helped her back into bed. Kutner smiled and was about to speak when Liz suddenly latched on to his sleeve. "The room is spinning." she said.

"Okay, Lets get you set down and I'll check your eyes." Kutner and Taub hoisted Liz onto her bed and Kutner pulled out his penlight. As he scanned her eyes he noticed something odd. He smiled at Liz and said he'd be right back. He exited the room at a modest pace, but as soon as he was away from view he started running. He threw open the glass door to House's office and said "Her eyes are seizing." He said, his chest heaving in and out as he caught his breath.

House stood and followed Kutner back to Liz's room. As he walked he chewed his lip absentmindedly.

&&&&&&&&&&&

After Kutner left the room Liz looked at Taub and asked "What's wrong?" When Taub could only shrug Liz sank down into the pillows and sighed. She tried to focus on one tile on the ceiling. It was impossible to do. The whole room was still shaking. She was still trying to still her eyes when House and Kutner came in. "what's going on with my eyes?" she asked. Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke.

House borrowed Kutner's penlight and shined it in Liz's eyes. Her pupils were still dilated but both eyes were trembling. "Hmm, weird." said House. He raised up and looked at Liz. "It looks like your eyes are sleeping, but you're still awake. R.E.M."

Liz scratched her head and sighed heavily. "So what now?" she asked. "More tests?" House nodded. "Fun." Liz groused.

&&&&&&&&&&&

Back in the staffroom, House and his team scanned the new symptoms on the board. _R.E.M _was scribbled in next to dilated pupils as was dizzy spells. "Okay, now what can cause all of these things?" he asked his team.

Taub drummed a pencil on the table and suggested "It might be a sleep disorder."

"But that doesn't explain the rosy cheeks." Hadley chimed in.

House paced again. "This is buggin' you isn't it?" asked Foreman. "Last time you paced like this was the time that girl had the plague." House stopped dead and turned to stare at Foreman. Foreman shook his head. "Nu-uh. No way. She couldn't be carrying the plague. She doesn't own any pets. Besides. She lives here on the east coast and she hasn't had any contact with anyone from the arid region of the States. No way, House."

"Check anyway." was House's reply. Foreman grudgingly rose and exited the room. "Take Kutner with you." House added. Kutner rose and followed Foreman to the lab.

"You really think it could be the plague?" asked Hadley.

""Only one way to be sure." said House without looking at her. "Go check her for a black boil. Look under her arms, legs and the back of her neck." Hadley rose and and went to examine Liz. House turned to Taub. "You and me are going to visit her apartment."

Taub was about to protest until House held up a set of keys on a jeweled keyring. "Okay." he said as he reached for his coat.


	2. Chapter 2

Elizabeth sat as still as she could while Hadley examined her for some kind of black lumpy thing. "So House thinks I might have the Black Plague?" she asked with amusement. "Interesting."

Hadley looked up at her. "You and House are a lot alike, you know. I think thats why he likes you."

"Because I remind him of him? How... sweet." She snickered. "How are we alike? I don't see anything."

Hadley grinned. "Neither of you seem to care what others think, for one." Liz scoffed. "I mean it. You both have this sort of way about you. It's like neither of you care if people hate you."

Liz smiled. "I _don't_ care if people hate me. That's their choice." She shrugged and Hadley's grip on her leg slipped and she dropped Liz's foot on her own arm. "Sorry." Liz said apologetically.

Hadley grinned. "I think that's one of the ways you two are different though. You have feelings. House doesn't."

Liz frowned. "Of course he does. He just chooses to not reveal them to you. Everyone has feelings."

Looking up at Liz, Hadley asked "Are you sure. I think House might be an alien. Do aliens have feelings?"

Liz let out a laugh. "An alien? Now that's new. I've never heard that one before. Robot.. sometimes, but this is the first time I've heard _alien_." Hadley laughed as well.

&&&&&&&&&&

House and Taub walked up to the door of Liz's apartment. As House pushed the key into the deadbolt he turned to Taub. "She's a Wiccan, you know. So there's bound to be all sorts of interesting things to look at in there. Are you sure you wanna come in?"

Taub sighed. "Just open the door." As House went into the apartment a neighbor walked out into the hall. Taub stayed behind.

"You a member of her mother's freak church?" asked the elderly woman. "They come around all the time, offering Lizzie booklets and bibles. I tell 'em they're wasting paper but they keep comin'." The old lady sighed. "Then her mother started to drop off little cupcakes and brownies. Like a peace offering. Of course, a sweet girl like Lizzie takes 'em all inside. Couldn't tell ya if she eats 'em but they keep comin'." Her voice was cross and protective. "I looked after Lizzie when she first got sick. I got an extra key." She held up the spare key, which hung around her pale neck. "Keep it on me all the time. That way I can be sure her meddling mother doesn't't steal it from me again."

Taub's expression changed instantly from boredom to interested. "Again?" he asked.

House was already inside and hadn't heard anything the woman was saying.

"Just what I said." The old woman replied. "That horrid woman stole my key and went into Lizzie's apartment day before she went into the hospital. I heard crashes and glass breaking. I guess she tore up the apartment pretty bad." She shook her head and clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "The next day Lizzie went sick and I called an ambulance."

Taub thanked the woman and assured her that they were doing everything they could for Liz. He then whipped into the apartment and looked for House. When he found him, in the kitchen, Taub told him about what the elderly woman had said. "What do you think about that?"

House pondered the information. Then, as if hit by inspiration he said "Check the trash." Confused, Taub did as he was told.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"You gave him your keys?!" asked a shocked Hadley. "Why?"

"He said he wanted to look for anything that might have made me sick." replied Liz with a shrug. "I trust him."

Hadley scoffed. "You're the only one." She shook her head. "Don't be shocked to find your underwear drawer rifled through when you get home."

It was Liz's turn to laugh. "If he went through my dresser, he'll be the one who's sorry. I'll know too, if he did. He wont be able to look at me without blushing. I have some... _interesting _nightwear."

Hadley smiled. "I can't wait then, to see how he reacts toward you. This should be interesting."

&&&&&&&&&&&

"What about this?" asked Taub. He held up a disposable tin. There were remnants of cake stuck to the inside. House nodded. Taub stuck it into a small garbage bag and tied it up. "This is not how I imagine I would be spending a Wednesday afternoon." he muttered.

"What would you rather be doing, then?" asked House. "Cleaning up vomit during your downtime from clinic duty?" His tone was bitter. Taub knew House hated clinic duty but he didnt know the hate was so deep. He shook his head and went back to rifling through Liz's trash. After another hour, House stretched himself and said "Now we go to the other rooms. Bathroom, Bedroom," he pointed to their next target. "living room." 

As they sifted through the waste baskets and under the couch House spied Liz's altar. He stood examining it for the longest time before Taub walked over and reached out to touch a statue. "Don't touch anything up there." he said, motioning to the statues and candles. "It's her altar."

"Shouldn't we have the incense tested for toxins, though?" asked Taub.

After a second of thought he walked over and picked up the phone...

&&&&&&&&&&&

The phone in Liz's room rang, startling both young women out of their skin. Liz reached over and picked it up. "Hello?" The voice on the other end was House's. Liz nodded. "Uh-huh. Yeah. Sure. Whatever, just leave the statues and candles if you can, ok." She smiled. "_Okay_, then. Yeah." she hung up. "He wanted permission to take something off my altar. He wants to have my incense tested for toxins."

"Permission?" asked a voice from the hall. Dr. Cuddy and a male doctor were standing in the doorway. It was the man who spoke. "House asked your permission?" He looked like he didn't believe her. Liz nodded. "Unbelievable." he mused.

Cuddy slapped him lightly on his arm. "Ignore Dr. Wilson. He's just in shock. This type of thing doesn't't happen.."

"At all." said Wilson with a laugh. He looked at Liz. "What makes you so special to receive kindness from House?"

Liz smiled. "Apparently we're a lot alike." she replied.

"She's Wiccan." Hadley added, hoping it might help. Wilson nodded

"I see. Kindred spirits. You're just like him. And you shun organized religion too? shame you aren't older, or he'd ask you out."

Cuddy scoffed and walked away. "I'm leaving, It's starting to get deep around here and I don't want to ruin my new heels."

Liz snickered. Hadley stood up and addressed Wilson. "I have to check on some labs and she's supposed to be under constant watch. Would you-"

"Certainly" Wilson smiled. "I'd like to know a bit more about this enigma. The girl who made House care."

As he sat down in the chair Hadley had just vacated Liz grinned. "That sounds like a children's story." she said with a laugh. Liz was about to say something else when another dizzy spell hit her. Her face flushed. Wilson got up and walked to her. "I'm okay." Liz assured him when she felt his hand on her shoulder. "Happens a lot these days. It'll pass." After a few minutes the room stopped spinning and she looked up at Wilson and smiled.

&&&&&&&&&

House and Taub walked through the clinic with a large garbage bag full of Liz's trash. Cuddy saw them coming. "What's all this?" she asked pointing to the bag.

"Garbage from my patient's apartment. Her illness might be food borne." He sidestepped her and headed toward the elevator. All Cuddy could do was watch.

"Sorry." Taub offered as he passed her, following House into the elevator.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Taub and Kutner busied themselves over the next four hours testing everything that had been brought from Liz's place. Nothing was coming up red-flagged. Kutner sighed with frustration and slid his chair away from the microscope. "This is useless." he muttered.

"House doesn't't think so." replied Taub from behind his own microscope, "Keep looking."

Finally they took their results to House, who wasn't pleased. "Nothing?" he asked disbelieving. "All the stuff we brought back and you didn't find anything?"

Taub frowned. "We tried every test for poisons, heavy metals, everything. Cleaners were ruled out and the incense was clean." He handed it to House. "We didn't find anything suspicious."

"It has to be something else." added Kutner.

House mulled the information over before blasting them with "We missed something. Find it. I'm going to go talk to Liz." He walked away from the two doctors who stood stunned.

When House approached the door to Liz's room he heard laughter. She and Wilson were talking and laughing. As he opened the door he said loudly "I'm here, you can stop talking about me."

"Why should that stop us?" asked Liz. "Now you're here to tell me whether its all true or not." Wilson flushed scarlet.

House smiled. Pulling up a chair he asked Liz. "Do you have any allergies that aren't listed in your history?"

Liz thought. "There's Codeine, I know that one's in there." She pointed to her file. Her eyes lit up and she gasped. "Just recently." she started. "I started having headaches and I was told it might be due to my sweetener. It had aspartame in it." She said, hope in her eyes. "I would get headaches and my stomach would hurt. So I stopped using it and the headaches went away. I never saw a doctor about it."

House's eyes flashed. Inspiration had hit him. Without a word he jumped up and bolted from the room. He tracked down Kutner and Taub. "How much aspartame did you find in the food?" he asked. His voice was on edge.

Kutner's face dropped slightly. "Now that you mention it, there was quite a bit of it. I figured she was trying to watch her sugar intake."

Taub corroborated the story. "There was a lot of junk food in her apartment. Lots of..." he trail off. "Little cakes." he said finally.

"What?" asked Kutner. "I missed something."

House's face wore an expression of fury. "Where's Liz's mother? Find her and bring her to Liz's room." He turned on his heel and marched back to the room where Liz and Wilson were talking about how odd House was acting. "You mom sent you cakes." he said as he walked in. "Little cakes in disposable tins."

"Yeah. She's my mother after all. She knows how much I like chocolate." Liz was confused. "Why? What's going on?" About that time Liz's mother walked into the room.

Her eyes were filled with tears and she tried to go to the bedside, but House stopped her. "Did you know Liz was having a bad reaction to the artificial sweetener aspartame?" When Her mother stammered around the answer House got louder. "It isn't a trick question. Did you know?!"

Liz watched in horror as her mother nodded in the affirmative. "Mother?! You were poisoning me?" Tears welled in her eyes. "How could you?"

Liz's mother straightened herself. "If you hadn't thrown your life away. If you had stayed home and not gone off and joined that- that _cult_! I wouldn't have to do these things to keep you safe!"

Liz was sitting up straight. "Safe?! What a joke! You wanted me sick so you could take care of me? Get away from me." She flung her arms out in front of her. "Get her away from me."

House watched as Cuddy had the sobbing woman escorted out of the hospital. He turned to Hadley and Kutner. "Lets get her detoxed, ok."

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

It was Friday. Elizabeth was released early and had gone before House had even showed up for work. He sat in his office playing his video games. Hadley pushed the door open and tossed Liz's file onto the desk. Paperwork is all done. All you have to do is sign it." she stated. Seeing his expression she asked "Aren't you happy that she's well?"

Looking up he smiled weakly. "Yeah. It's just bothering me that her own mother would do that to her." She shook his head. "I guess I feel bad for her."

Hadley tilted her head to one side. "Who? Liz or her mother?"

House scoffed. "Elizabeth." He shooed her with his hand and went back to playing his video game. Hadley shrugged and walked out. House was alone for all of three seconds before Cuddy walked into his office. "Don't you people knock?" he asked gruffly.

"I was instructed to give you this." House looked up to see Cuddy holding a small box.

"What is it?" he asked.

Cuddy shrugged and made a face. "I don't know. It's from Elizabeth Sullivan."

House had to glance down at the file to see if Liz's last name was Sullivan. It was. He gladly took the box. "You can go now." he said to Cuddy. With an exasperated sigh she walked out of the office. When she was gone he examined the box. It was barely big enough to hold a saltine. When he pulled the top off the box what he saw astounded him. Inside, sitting on a foam cushion was a guitar pick signed by Joe Strummer and a ticket to see a Clash cover band at a local club.

House sat back and admired the small item. He was smiling. Wilson walked by and saw him but didn't enter the room or say anything afterward. He let House have the moment all to himself.

A/N: Okay, I know it was very short but it was my first fic. Please Review. Flame will be used as fuel for my next story. There will be more. I'm hoping to make it a series. Let me know what you think.


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